


Scars

by ToxicPineapple



Series: Amamota Week 2020 [7]
Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Amamota Week, Amamota Week 2020, Conversations, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, I said I was going to angst Kaito and then I didn't, Just the one!!, Kisses, M/M, Post-Hope's Peak Academy, Scar Conversations, Scars, Sorry Momota nation, Trans Momota Kaito, it's brief, self-harm mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27448750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicPineapple/pseuds/ToxicPineapple
Summary: But they got there. They’re here now, aren’t they? They’re okay. Kaito smiles at Rantaro, his eyes soft, and reaches out to take one of his hands, bringing his knuckles to his lips. He loves this man, so deeply and strongly. Sometimes it’s difficult to articulate.“Hey there,” Rantaro says, and when Kaito looks down at his face, one of his eyes is cracked open, sparkling a little. “Thinking thoughts, there?”“Just about how much I love you,” Kaito murmurs. He shifts Rantaro’s hand to kiss the inside of his wrist, the inside of his scar, and leans his cheek into Rantaro’s palm. “And about these scars.”“Which ones? The ones on my wrists?” Rantaro shuffles slightly, to look at Kaito curiously. “What are you thinking about them?”---Kaito asks Rantaro how he got a couple scars.---Amamota week day seven: Free Space
Relationships: Amami Rantaro/Momota Kaito
Series: Amamota Week 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994860
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	Scars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jimcloud](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jimcloud/gifts).



> written for amamota week day seven! today was a free space :)
> 
> not to gift another work to jimothy cloud or anything, like this little gremlin i am. i just wanted to gift this to jim because  
> a) the event rantaro is describing here was conceived by jim in a roleplay, so that's jimtaro canon that i have Stolen and Integrated because i think it is Sexy  
> b) jim is the one who got me hyperfixated on amamota and now i am stuck. i am stuck and i am in hell. sort of. right now i'm sort of hyperfixated on oumami but that's ALSO because of jim so it is what it is.
> 
> jim thank you for your help with the prompts and also just for being a swell friend :pleadingface: i'll try my best not to gift you anything until your birthday now but i can't make any promises

Rantaro has thin, pale scars that go all the way around his wrists.

Kaito notices them, because it’s hard not to. They raise slightly from his skin, and even though he wears a bracelet on one wrist and hair ties on the other most of the time, Kaito’s seen him in casual enough situations to have seen him entirely without any of that. He’s never asked what they’re from, simply because it feels too… mm, personal of a question. Shuichi, Kaito’s best friend, has scars too, running up and down the insides of his forearms, and Maki’s body is covered in scars, big ones, little ones, that Kaito knows the cause of well enough never to ask about.

He knows the cause of Shuichi’s, too, not least of all because he’s walked in on them forming once or twice. It’s not really something Shuichi struggles with anymore. Or if he does, he hasn’t talked to Kaito about it. He’s under no obligation to. But Kaito thinks he would, if he did. That’s the sort of person that Shuichi is, honest, even if… even if he’s ashamed of himself.

It’s not like the wrist scars are the only scars Rantaro has. He has burn scars in several places, including a large on on his abdomen. Old bullet scars, faded stab scars, a little nick on his cheek from the time someone in the dining hall back at Hope’s Peak threw a knife and barely missed him, the like. Kaito can guess the origin of most of them. Rantaro used to live a really dangerous life, before he found all his sisters.

But he doesn’t know about the scars on his wrists. Sometimes Rantaro will absentmindedly trace over them with his thumbs, his brow furrowed and his gaze faraway. Other times Kaito will watch him as he gets ready, carefully positioning his jewelery and elastics in the precise way that they would cover the scars. It’s something that Rantaro is very meticulous about, even now, after having been out of high school for over a decade. Kaito asked him about it a few years back, why he works so hard to keep them covered, and he’d laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

“I’m not ashamed of them, if that’s what you’re asking, though the concern is sweet,” and he’d leaned over to kiss Kaito on the cheek. “I just find that having my scars out and about tends to make other people uncomfortable. Or it invites unnecessary questions. I’d rather not talk about my life’s experiences if I don’t have to.” He’d tossed his head. “That’s all it is, really.”

Kaito believed him-- mainly because Rantaro was so casual about taking off his shirt at the beginning of their relationship, it really hadn’t seemed like he was particularly humiliated by or ashamed of his scars in any way, and Kaito still believes this to be the case-- but he still has to wonder about those two scars on his wrists. And he  _ also  _ has to wonder if it’s even appropriate to ask.

He’s leaning towards no. But also, he and Rantaro have been going out for over ten years now, so if ever Kaito was going to be allowed to ask… he could do it now. He probably should do it now, really. It’s sort of weird that he hasn’t. There’s just no good way to… bring it up, really. Not that Kaito ever has to try very hard when he wants to talk to Rantaro. They’ve been together for so  _ long  _ by now, it’s a lot easier broaching difficult topics with him than it is with other people. Kaito just doesn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable, is all. Doesn’t want to put him on the spot or force him to unearth trauma that he deliberately hasn’t brought up in the past.

They’re in bed, right now, Rantaro’s head resting on Kaito’s chest, his arm tucked around his waist, eyes closed, expression relaxed. He looks peaceful, really, as peaceful as he’s ever looked. It used to be that even when he was relaxing, there’d be this wrinkle in his brow that refused to smooth out, no matter what. Like there was always some part of Rantaro that was thinking about his sisters, and feeling like every moment spent not searching for them was a moment wasted. Kaito can understand the mentality--  _ does  _ understand the mentality, after dating this long-- but it was sad seeing Rantaro like that, knowing he could never truly enjoy the peaceful moments like this, not while his sisters were still out there.

It’s not like everything just suddenly became perfect when he found all his sisters, though. There was a period of time where Rantaro was jumpy, like he needed to hop on a plane. He kept getting up and then pausing and sitting back down, like he didn’t know how to deal with not having something to do. Understandably. This has been Rantaro’s life for almost two decades, for all of his teenage years and the vast majority of his adult years so far. Getting used to being able to live like your average person took… a while.

But they got there. They’re here now, aren’t they? They’re okay. Kaito smiles at Rantaro, his eyes soft, and reaches out to take one of his hands, bringing his knuckles to his lips. He loves this man, so deeply and strongly. Sometimes it’s difficult to articulate.

“Hey there,” Rantaro says, and when Kaito looks down at his face, one of his eyes is cracked open, sparkling a little. “Thinking thoughts, there?”   
  
“Just about how much I love you,” Kaito murmurs. He shifts Rantaro’s hand to kiss the inside of his wrist, the inside of his scar, and leans his cheek into Rantaro’s palm. “And about these scars.”

“Which ones? The ones on my wrists?” Rantaro shuffles slightly, to look at Kaito curiously. “What are you thinking about them?”

“How’d you get them?” Kaito blurts, and then he blinks, and backtracks. “Wait-- I didn’t wanna ask so suddenly, hold up,” he chuckles a little, apologetic, and Rantaro smiles, squeezing Kaito’s hand. “It’s just… I dunno, I’ve always seen them, never really knew… what happened, y’know? You don’t have to tell me.”

“Well, they’re not self harm scars,” Rantaro says, and he slowly sits himself up, so Kaito follows, watching his boyfriend shift so that he’s cross legged. “As you can probably guess by how they look.” He huffs a little, blowing a green curl of hair out of his face. “It happened a long time ago, a long time even before I met you. Don’t feel bad about not asking until now, it’s sort of a weird question to just ask, even if I’m not upset to have been asked it.”   
  


Kaito nods slowly. Rantaro would let him know if he was actually upset, so Kaito relaxes. It’s alright.

“I was eleven? It was my first trip out by myself to the Philippines, searching for Kikuko, you know. Zero survival skills, zero knowledge of the area, rudimentary understanding of tagalog, and very obviously wealthy exterior.” He grins ruefully. “So a couple guys grabbed me and held me for ransom.”

“Oh,” Kaito breathes out.

“Yeah,” Rantaro smiles awkwardly. “These scars are from when they bound my wrists.” He looks down at them. “Again, long time ago. I barely even think about it anymore. The worst part about it was that my father didn’t let me go out on any trips for a while after that, until I could convince him that I wouldn’t let it happen again.” He sighs. “But yeah, that’s the story. Sorry it’s not more interesting.”

  
Kaito laughs. “You think getting kidnapped is uninteresting?” But he sobers after that, humming, kissing Rantaro’s scar again, closing his eyes for a moment. “That must’ve been pretty scary, huh?” He cracks his eyes open.

“Probably,” Rantaro shrugs. “Again, it was a long time ago. I’ve probably repressed most of it by now, though I’m noticeably still claustrophobic, so there’s that.” He smiles wryly.

“I’m glad you came out of it alive,” Kaito says, softly. “Dunno where I’d be without you, Taro.”

“Yeah, well, that goes both ways, so,” Rantaro reaches over to curl his arms around Kaito’s shoulders, gently pulling his wrist out of Kaito’s grip. (Kaito lets him.) “If you had more scars I’d be kissing them all right now.”

Grinning, Kaito says, “You could kiss my top scars if I took off my shirt.”

That makes Rantaro laugh. “Are you sure you’re not just looking for an excuse to take off your shirt?”

“I’m valid,” Kaito fires back. Look. Listen. Look. Just. The serotonin from being able to walk around the house shirtless without top dysphoria is… too good not to tap into it whenever he gets the chance. Leave him alone.

“You  _ are  _ valid,” Rantaro says, his lips curling into a smile. “I love you.”

Kaito tilts his face so that their lips are almost touching, since that’s where they’re at by now pretty much, and mumbles, “Love you too,” before he closes the gap.

**Author's Note:**

> flops down onto the ground
> 
> ... so!!!! it's done :D
> 
> i. dragged my feet for this one i'll be honest, like, hoooo boy. it's not because i'm not Fucking Passionate about amamota or less excited to be putting out amamota content, it's just. i have a lot of oumami brainrot right now, that's all. i'm valid!!! i'm valid. goddamnit
> 
> in other news, i haven't written much of a wide variety of characters in a while, so i'll be trying to write some stuff over the course of the next couple weeks before oumeno and himikiyo week come, so, keep your eyes peeled, i guess!!! i gotta stretch them writing fingers, you know? i miss writing other, non-v3 amasaioumota content. so that'll be coming :]
> 
> hope you enjoyed this series!!! amamota is such a good ship so i had fun and i hope you did too! love y'all


End file.
